Carbondale Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) took to social media recently to support the decision by a judge that granted a restraining order against a gun ban freshly signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.

On Jan. 20, Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison granted a temporary restraining order against the newly passed law for 866 plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by attorney Thomas DeVore, a KSDK report said. Among the plaintiffs is Effingham-based Accuracy Firearms LLC.

“This was the right call," Severin said in a Jan. 20 Facebook post. “I have said for weeks that this law is unconstitutional, and now a judge has agreed, I understand there will be further court actions in the State of Illinois and that a federal lawsuit is pending. Any time an unconstitutional law like this can be halted, it means citizens’ rights are being protected. I agree with today’s decision and look forward to this firearms ban law being struck down at the Illinois Supreme Court and in the United States Supreme Court.”

Senate Bill 2226 was filed on Jan. 5 by Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch (D-Westchester), the Illinois General Assembly website said. The bill included much of the information that was in HB 5855, which was filed on Dec. 1 by Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highwood). The legislation bans the manufacture, sale and purchase of assault weapons and the large-capacity ammunition magazines used in them. Additionally, the bill requires owners of the banned firearms to register those weapons with the state and also bans items that can convert legal handguns into illegal automatic weapons.

“Democrats in Illinois have taken their quest to pass unconstitutional gun control legislation to the next level tonight, as Governor Pritzker has signed a bill that will make law-abiding citizens into felons for failing to comply with government managed gun registry," Severin said in a Jan. 10 statement on his website. "The Illinois State Rifle Association has pledged to sue the State of Illinois for passing this bill to stop it from being implemented. I support their planned court challenge and will continue to advocate for the Second Amendment Rights of the people of the State of Illinois and the United States of America.”

DeVore's website shared documents pertaining to the temporary restraining order. The documents included the complaint that lists all 866 plaintiffs, a notice of hearing, and other items, along with a copy of the restraining order itself. Those documents can be found here.